The Duality Of Feminism In Dr Jekyll And Mr Hyde

The first wave of feminism started in the 19th century in both the United States and the United Kingdom. The movement was primarily focused on gaining political power and equal property rights for women. These insane ideas sparked a lot of controversy; the world was not ready for women to be thinking for themselves. Some people were claiming that women were morally superior (Rampton). Had these morally superior women been present in Robert Louis Stevenson’s novel, The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, the storyline would have been greatly impacted. The absence of a strong female character in Robert Louis Stevenson’s The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde was influenced by the duality of feminism, the societal views of women, and the threat they pose to masculinity. …show more content…
Women must look toward the future, but they also need to remember where they have been; they need to keep the hardships of the past in mind to help inspire change. When comparing the thoughts and actions of feminists, the group can be divided into two categories. They can be classified as either Jekyll or Hyde feminists. The sane, more rational, and positive feminists can be described Jekyll feminists (Edley). These would be the more peaceful and level-headed of the group just like Dr. Jekyll in Robert Louis Stevenson’s novel, The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. The Hyde feminists can be described as more radical individuals that strive to make men the inferior gender by pushing for female world domination (Edley). Hyde was the aggressive, violent side of